


Nothing Has To Change

by Adlersong



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series), Fantasy High
Genre: Developing Relationship, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Love Confessions, M/M, i am not caught up yet, not necessarily season two compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-02-07 09:50:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21456079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adlersong/pseuds/Adlersong
Summary: “It’s fine, man, it’s whatever.” He shot another straggler in the back. “It’s not like— look, this doesn’t change anything, I’m still gonna help you get Aelwyn and you’ll live happily ever after and all that shit.”Fabian blinked. “Oh.” The tightness in his chest grew worse and he wondered, though he suspected it wasn’t, if this was a panic attack like Adaine had talked about.Riz is good at compartmentalization and Fabian has an epiphany.
Relationships: Riz Gukgak/Fabian Aramais Seacaster
Comments: 18
Kudos: 354





	Nothing Has To Change

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic in literal years and only my second on AO3, but this ship really has me feeling emotions. I haven't had the time or money to get into Season 2 yet, but I hope to in the next few weeks!

“He’s in love with you.”

Fabian faltered, stumbling slightly, and the Lich dodged his rapier without effort.

“No he’s— the Ball? No.” Shots rang out as another two minions were dispatched.

“I cannot speak falsehood. You know this.” Riz barreled into view, having clearly only heard his name, rushing to Fabian’s aid. Just like he always has, Fabian thought. He had never…

“The reason for all the lies. For the simulacrum, Baron. He’s in love with you.” Riz stopped short when he heard the words— and was nearly clipped by another zombie, this one coming from the side. Another shot dispelled him too, but more approached from behind.

“Behind you, the Ball!” Fabian cried out, any thoughts about the Lich’s assertion gone in the moment. Riz took another shot, but there were too many— and Fabian was diving away from the undead wizard’s reach, dodging the swing of his scythe and driving his rapier into the nearest undead skull.

For a while fighting took up all of Fabian’s mind and energy, no conscious thought left as they broke down the incumbent wave of reanimated corpses. The lich stepped into the shadows, disappearing— but emerging across the warehouse as Adaine dragged him through the ethereal plane and back into material existence. Shooting a crossbow bolt into yet another skull, Fabian turned— and saw Riz, dagger in hand, throwing himself forward to attack one of the few who were now focusing their energies on Adaine and Gorgug.

“Did— do you—” Fabian stammered as Riz cut through the zombie’s spine. Riz didn’t look at him.

“It’s fine, man, it’s whatever.” He shot another straggler in the back. “It’s not like— look, this doesn’t change anything, I’m still gonna help you get Aelwyn and you’ll live happily ever after and all that shit.”

Fabian blinked. “Oh.” The tightness in his chest grew worse and he wondered, though he suspected it wasn’t, if this was a panic attack like Adaine had talked about. “But, you— “

“I said it’s fine.” Riz parried a blow as a zombie lurched towards him. “Can we not talk about this right now? I’m kinda—” he shot it through the neck as it bore down on him, putrefying blood spraying out— “in the middle of something.”

There was a howl from outside. Tracker and Jawbone had arrived, which meant reinforcements. The horde— more of a group now, Fabian thought— of zombies turned towards the doors just in time to see them fly open.

“By the power of— it’s actually really hard to say Yes? with conviction, that’s kind of the point. Anyways.” Kristen’s book of Comparative World Religions glowed with power as bold font choices and philosophers manifested beside her. The warehouse shook as a griffin dove through one of the windows, Fig riding behind Sandralynn with her guitar at the ready. The first power chord thrummed through Fabian like a shot of espresso and he found himself recovered from wounds he hadn’t even noticed.

After that, the battle was pretty much over. By the time Ragh and Zelda arrived, the Lich had disappeared and the remaining undead servants were maimed or in pieces. Zelda had to punch through a crate to get rid of the excess energy.

Riz had put as much distance as possible between them as the battle slowed down. He was talking to Adaine, hands stuffed in his pockets, and someone who didn’t know him so well might have thought he was only tired. Fabian saw the tension in his shoulders, the way his weight shifted back and forth, and when had he learned to read Riz’s emotions like this? If he was being honest, it was a while ago— before they fought the Nightmare King or even Kalvaxys. Before Fabian had met Aelwyn.

Gods, he was such an idiot.

Riz was in the middle of talking when Fabian approached (hands waving as if he was asking or explaining something and why, Fabian thought, did it take him so long to notice how much of his life was spent watching Riz?). He stopped talking as soon as he saw Fabian there, hand falling to his side, and the look in his eyes—

It was the resignation that made this thing in Fabian’s chest, this twisting pressure, hurt the most. Riz looked up at him and for a long moment, there was silence. Fabian didn’t know what he looked like— barely knew what he felt like, guilt and love and shock and battle-tiredness all rolled into one— but whatever it was made Riz’s face change into something a little less sad, a little more… confused.

“Hi, Fabian.” Adaine said, breaking into the silence. Fabian couldn’t really look away.

“Hey Adaine. Um. The Ball, can I, ah, talk to you, for a second?” Riz nodded.

“Um, I think I hear Kristen calling me over there. Somewhere. I’ll just…” Adaine lied and walked as fast as she could towards the door. Fabian could hear someone whisper something behind him, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Nor did it seem like he could bring himself to talk.

“Um.” Riz cleared his throat. “So, that was…”

“You love me?” Riz’s shoulders slumped.

“Didn’t we do this already?” Fabian had never been more aware of the false bravado that Riz put on than he was at this moment.

“I need to hear it from you.” Fabian tried to keep his voice steady. “Please.” He almost succeeded.

Riz looked down, as if it were somehow easier to say it to his shoes than his face.

“I—” He began, paused, began again. “I do.” His voice became even quieter. “I love you.”

Fabian’s heart exploded, hearing it said. Months of longing and repressed feelings and unarticulated thoughts coalesced into one blast.

“And I—” Riz was about to tell him it was okay, Fabian knew. He was going to tell him again that his feelings didn’t matter, when Riz was all that mattered, and that nothing had to change, when everything already had.

Fabian was reaching out before his mind caught up with him, touching Riz’s cheek and watching as the goblin boy froze.

“I’m in love with you.” The words came out in a rush, louder than he’d intended them, almost echoing around them. “I have been— I mean, I love you too.” Riz’s eyes were as wide as the moon outside.

“You—” Riz stammered. “What? I mean…” There was hope in his eyes, and some of the joy Fabian had hoped for, but still caution. “You don’t have to— “

Fabian couldn’t bear to hear him finish that sentence. He kissed Riz.

There was a moment of confusion, Riz caught off-guard, Fabian fueled by desperation, neither of them prepared for this. Fabian felt Riz gasp, wondered if he had moved too fast, gone too far, messed up again—

And then Riz was kissing him back and all of those fears, as well as most thoughts of any kind whatsoever, fled his mind.

Riz was opening his mouth with a soft sigh. Riz was holding onto the collar of his letterman jacket to bring him closer. Riz was reaching his other hand into Fabian’s hair.

Riz was kissing him back.

Riz was kissing him back.

It became more of a blur from that point. Fabian gasped as Riz’s fangs bit into his lip, burying his hands in Riz’s hair; Riz twined his arms around Fabian’s neck and Fabian, getting the hint, picked him up so that Riz’s legs were around his waist and they were pressed together; Riz threaded his fingers through Fabian’s hair and pulled, lightly, but enough for Fabian to moan into his mouth and think that he might die of this, that it was a good way to go —

The gust of wind from the griffin’s wings as it took off made them remember that they weren’t alone.

Their friends were standing by the door, pointedly not looking their way. Gorgug had taken out his drumsticks and was practicing a rhythm, looking to all the world like he was genuinely unaware of what was happening (his blush broke the illusion). Fig was smugly accepting money from Ragh and Kristen, giving them a thumbs up behind her back as she winked. Adaine was over-animated, talking to Zelda and Tracker as she gestured to the moon.

Riz looked somewhere between dazed and mortified. Fabian felt whatever it was in his chest grow warm, happy, perhaps the happiest he’d ever been.

“Kristen’s never gonna let us live this down, is she?” Kristen was in fact looking over at them and cheering, although Adaine was trying to stop her.

“No, she won’t.” Fabian replied, grinning. Riz smiled back— a small, open smile that grew bigger the longer they stared at each other. “I don’t think I care, do you?”

Riz shook his head. “No.” The hand still in Fabian’s hair drew him back in, reminding him of the grip he had around Riz’s waist. “I really don’t.”

As they kissed again, Fig started to play a riff on her guitar. After a few moments, Gorgug began to drum along.

They didn’t even notice.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave a comment or kudos! I'm always down to talk about Fabriz or anything else at https://anathematic.tumblr.com !


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